Chapter 9

The hall was still vibrating with shock.

Whispers rippled through the crowd like wildfire—names, guesses, disbelief.

But Grace stood at the center of it all,

unmoving.

Composed.

Untouchable.

Her gaze slowly swept across the room… until it landed on Nora.

Nora was still standing.

shaking.

pointing like the world owed her an explanation.

“You think you can just come back like this?” Nora’s voice cracked as she laughed bitterly.

“After everything—you expect us to believe you’re not her?”

Grace tilted her head slightly.

Calm.

Almost bored.

“I don’t expect anything from you,” she said quietly.

That silence hit harder than any shout.

Nora stepped forward again, her voice rising.

“You’re Clarice! You’re doing this to get back at me! You’re obsessed—”

“Security.”

Grace didn’t even raise her voice.

Just one word.

Cold. Final.

The entire hall froze.

Two security guards stepped forward instantly.

“Ma’am?” one asked.

Grace didn’t look away from Nora.

“Remove her.”

For a second, Nora didn’t move.

Then reality caught up.

“What?” she snapped. “You can’t—do you know who I am? Damian—tell them! Tell them I’m your fiancée!”

All heads turned.

Damian.

He was still seated.

Still staring.

His expression unreadable.

Nora’s eyes snapped to him, desperate now.

“Damian!”

A pause.

A long, suffocating pause.

Then—

He looked away.

Just slightly.

Not a word.

Not a step.

Nothing.

That silence was louder than rejection.

Nora’s face broke.

“No…” she whispered. “No, you don’t get to do this—Damian!”

The guards moved.

She struggled instantly.

“Let go of me! I said let go!” she screamed, heels scraping against the floor. “This is my place! I belong here!”

But they didn’t stop.

Grace finally turned her eyes toward her.

Slowly.

Coldly.

“lowlife social climbing idiots do not belong here got that,” she said.

That was it.

Nora snapped.

“You think you’ve won? You’re nothing— You hear me?”

Her voice cracked as she was dragged backward.

Hair messy.

Mascara lines stroked along her face.

Her cheeks red from the humiliation

“Damian! Say something!” she screamed. “You can’t just let her do this to me!”

But Damian still didn’t move.

His jaw tightened once.

But he said nothing.

The sound of Nora's heels scrapping the floor followed her out of the hall

her voice echoing down the corridor until it faded

Silence returned.

Heavy.

Thick.

Uncomfortable.

Grace exhaled softly,

Then she turned.

And for the first time that night…

Her eyes met Damian’s directly.

Damian stood slowly

His eyes meeting hers

Like he had been waiting for this moment without knowing it.

“Clarice—”

"Mr Rodriguez the only reason i invited you to my event was simply because of my grandfather" she paused "I don't know who the f**k clarice is, but trust me when i say this your......little puppy will be facing a lawsuit" she said and the hall was instantly filled with gasp

For the first time, Damian looked unsure.

Thousand of Question bubbled in his head

Is this really clarice,

But why is she so cold.

“I need to talk to you,” he said quietly. “About everything.”

Grace studied him for a long moment.

Then she gave a small, almost tired smile.

“Mr Rodriguez, if this talk doesn't involve compensating me for the humiliation your puppy just gave me then im not interested,”

"I just want explan"

“I didn’t come here for explanations, Mr Rodriguez”

A pause.

Then she looked him dead in the eyes.

“I came here simply out of curtesy

Something flickered in his expression.

Confusion.

Regret.

Something heavier he couldn’t name.

“Clarice—wait.”

He reached slightly forward.

But she stepped back instantly.

A clean rejection.

Cold.

Controlled.

“Take care pf your fiance and forget your dead wife” she said calmly.

That word landed like a slap.

Fiancée.

Damian froze.

Grace turned away before he could respond.

Back straight.

Steps steady.

No hesitation.

As she walked off the stage, the entire hall still watched her like she was a storm they couldn’t name yet.

And Damian…

stood in silence.

For the first time since everything began—

he had no control over anything at all.